Booking an X-perience: FAQs

Programme suitability varies tremendously depending on numerous factors, such as program goals, group-size, available time-frame and the preferred language of the group. We will work with you to find the optimal programme for you. Do fill in our Booking Form and our team can respond with some initial suggestions. For reference, a list of our available programmes can be found on our simulation menu.

Yes, they do! We launched a new pricing structure to help us offer our programmes more sustainably in September 2015. While we reach for sustainability in our pricing, however, our desire is also to make our simulation programmes accessible to all sectors of the community. Should, therefore, your school or group require financial assistance, do let us know, and we will work with you through the financial assistance application process. For a quote, fill in our Booking Form and we will send one through to you before your booking is finalised.

Crossroads is, first and foremost, a humanitarian agency that seeks to impact the hearts of participants towards action on behalf of those in need. While we offer most of our simulation programmes in English and Cantonese, we will work with you to select the optimal language for your group for maximum impact of participants’ hearts and lives.

Hong Kong

Our main base of operations is on our site in Hong Kong, where we have permanent installations for the simulation environments. Click here for directions. It is possible, though, to take some of our simulations to other venues within the city. Contact us by using our Booking Form if you are interested in booking a programme for an off-site event.

Other countries

We take our X-periences on the road to other countries a couple of times a year. We have offered our simulations in a wide number of locations world-wide, including Australia, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, US, and Vietnam. Contact us by using our Booking Form, if you are interested in having our team travel to you for a programme.

Our simulation menu indicates the length of each simulation X-perience. We generally recommend groups arrive with time for a briefing before the programme, as well as factoring in time for a visit to our Fair Trade Café and Shop afterwards. While we tailor all programmes to meet the needs of the group, our general programme times are 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-17:00, Tuesday to Saturday. You will receive a schedule for your programme when you book. Some groups choose to combine their simulation programme with service opportunities, over the course of a day (10:00-17:00). More on our ‘Service and Simulation’ programmes here.

We are currently seeing great demand for our simulation X-periences, so we suggest you book as far in advance as possible. We recommend at least 2-4 months, though more is better, especially if your preferred date is a Saturday. We understand of course, if you are working to a tighter time frame, and will do our best to accommodate you.

Some of our programmes can be combined with a meal which is typical of the food eaten by people in poverty. This is generally available as a lunch, as part of a morning programme. Our booking team can liaise with you further on this. In addition, our fair trade café has a range of beverages and snacks available throughout the day. Some groups choose to self-cater their meals at Crossroads and we are happy to facilitate this by providing a room, when available.

Please do ensure each participant is wearing weather-appropriate clothing with closed-toe shoes. Participants will be both indoors and outdoors during your time with us. Additionally, each participant should make arrangements for:

Sun/rain protection, as needed

Mosquito repellent (if participating in a programme in the warmer months)

Personal water bottle, which can be re-filled at various stations around the site

We welcome people with all levels of abilities! Our staff is experienced in working with people with different learning and physical disabilities and some of our simulations can be adapted to suit their specific needs. If you are making a booking for a group that includes individuals with learning and physical disabilities, please let us know, so that our staff can advise on suitable programmes.

A note for wheelchair uses: Our site is a former military barracks site and, unfortunately, was not built with wheelchair accessibility in mind. That said, we have sought to retrofit ramps to some of the key areas. Please do contact our staff for more information if you are visiting Crossroads as a wheelchair user.

Cafe. Our Silk Road Cafe offers hot and cold drinks and light snacks, bought on a fair trade basis to create income for growers and producers. Social enterprise groups provide our snacks. Fun and funky, the cafe is proving a popular venue, where every purchase benefits someone in need.

Marketplace. Our Global Handicrafts marketplace provides an opportunity to buy fair trade products. These are gathered from over 5o suppliers in over 45 countries. Shoppers wander through a range of regional markets to buy these wares.

Volunteer office. We have a wide variety of service opportunities for people from all walks of life. Some groups choose to combine their simulation programme with service opportunities, over the course of a day (10:00-17:00). More on our ‘Service and Simulation’ programmes here.

Crossroads provides many ways for groups to engage in and help world need, including:

Goods collection: As we serve those in need in Hong Kong and around the world, there are certain items that are always in high demand. Join us in collecting towards these items! Preparing kits of specific items is a great way to get everyone involved, see what kits are currently needed here.

Fundraising: While we do much of our work through in-kind donations, we have a constant needs for funds to maintain our operations and to ensure that we can connect goods to those in need efficiently. We also have specific sponsorship opportunities available at any given time – check these out and consider giving!

Connect with projects: If you would like to connect with a project in another country and consider how you can help them directly, let us help you do so through our website.

General & skilled volunteering enables individuals and groups to engage with solutions to world need. Skilled volunteering is a particularly powerful way for individuals and teams to leverage their specific training and experience to create opportunities and resolve difficult challenges for people in need. We have a broad range of volunteering opportunities available. Please consider booking a volunteering slot alongside your Global X-perience, or as a follow-up to your visit.

Shopping & eating!Our Silk Road Café and Global Handicrafts Shop let you take a moment to have a coffee, eat a pastry, and buy a gift for a friend while benefiting the poor at the same time. The café and shop support fair trade organisations in Hong Kong and all over the world. We always plan time for a visit to our café and shop during a Crossroads programme, but do make sure you bring some money to make a purchase!

Do you have other thoughts on how you would like to help those in need that aren’t represented on this list? Let us know by dropping us a line at engagement@crossroads.org.hk

We are receiving many booking requests, and as we allocate time, staff and resources for your group, we turn down others. If you cancel or change your booking, it can be too late for us to then accommodate others. So we ask that, upon receiving your invoice, you pay the full amount at least 6 weeks before the date of your visit to secure your booking.

Cancellations: If you cancel your booking with more than 6 weeks before your scheduled programme, we will refund you. If you cancel your booking with less than 6 weeks to go, we will, regretfully, be unable to do so.

Changes in participant numbers: It is important that we are informed of changes to participant numbers so that we can properly support your visit. However, we only consider adjusting the programme fee if there are significant changes and, only then, on a case by case basis.

Wet weather: The Hong Kong weather can change the best laid plans! In the case of heavy rain on the day of, or the days leading up to, an outdoor programme, we will try to relocate your simulation to an indoor venue, space permitting. If yours is a larger group (over 100 people) this might not, sadly, be possible. In this case, we will help you to re-book.

Crossroads remains open during a Typhoon Signal No. 1, Typhoon Signal No.3, and Amber and Red Rainstorm Warnings. The following arrangements apply when:

a Typhoon Signal No.8 (T8) or above is issued or in effect;

the Hong Kong Observatory announces that a T8 or above will be issued (a Typhoon Signal Pre-8); or

a Black Rainstorm Warning signal is issued or in effect.

Signal Issued, Announced or in Effect: 7 am – 12 noon
All morning simulations are cancelled.

Signal Issued, Announced or in Effect: 12:01 pm or after
All afternoon simulations are cancelled.

A few additional notes:

Notwithstanding the above, if the school or class participating in the simulation has officially cancelled its session(s) within two hours of the scheduled simulation, or the EDB announces that schools are to close, any scheduled simulation will also be cancelled.

Moreover, in the event that after a T8 or Black Rainstorm Warning signal is lowered or cancelled (1) there is significant physical damage to the Crossroads site, (2) road conditions in a storm aftermath would make accessing the Crossroads site in a timely manner challenging, or (3) a key facilitator of a scheduled simulation is unable to return to the Crossroads site in a timely manner, Crossroads reserves the right to contact the participating organization to reschedule the scheduled simulation.